Refrigerator-car



(No Model.)

O. 8.1HARDY. REFRIGERATOR CAB..

No. 509,806. Patented Nov. 28, 1893.

/N VE N TOR Cas. 49.](a71d .71 BY mw A TTOHNEYS.

RAP Ne ccMPANY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SAUNDERS HARDY, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFRNIA.

REFRlGERATOR-CAR.

. BIBEGIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,806, datedNovember 28, 1893.

Application filed May 15, 1893.

T0 all whofit it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES SAUNDERs HARDY, of San Diego, in the countyof San Diego and State of California, have in ven ted a new and usefulImprovement in Refrigerator- Cars, of which the following is aspecification.

I have filed an application, Serial No. 457,244, for certainimprovements in refrigerator freight cars, the same being alsoapplicable to steam-beats, storage warehouses, &c. The leading featureof suchinvention is a certain construction of ice-box and itsarrangementin the car, whereby its floor (or bottom) and one side areadapted to fold against the end wall and roof of the car, so that whenthe ice-box is notrequired for use, the space which its folding sectionsnormally occupy may be utilized for storage of freight requiring norefrigeration. My present invention is in the same line, and relates tothe improved means for hinging and supporting the folding floor (orbottom), and fastening it to the swinging side sections when in normalor folded position.

In the accompanyingdrawings-Figure 1 is a longitudinal verticalsection-in perspectiVe-of a box freight car provided with myimprovement, the ice box sections being shown in the normal, or pendent,position, as required for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the sameparts, the sections being, however, shown secured in the foldedposition. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of fastening devices applied tothe folding sections. Fig. 4is a vertical section of a modification,showing the arrangement of adjacent folding ice boxes for use in an icehouse. l

The ice-box, A, is located at one end and in the upper portion of thecar chamber, B, and an inclined draft plate, or false ceiling, O, isapplied to the true ceiling of the chamber, substantially as in myprevious invention. One side, D, of the ice-box is formed by parallelvertical cleats, a, secured to the end wall, b, of the car. The foldingfloor, or bottom, E, of the ice-box is formed of aseries of parallelcleats, c, and a series of parallel strips, d, to which they (c) aresecured. The said floor, E, rests on fixed stops or projections, f,whenin normal position, and is hinged to the vertical cleats, a, instead of.the car wall. For this latter purpose, I employ two sets of ap- SerialNo. l1='74,25l. (No model.)

proximatel V-shaped leaves, F, F', one set, F,

being secu red to the pointed lower ends of the l vertical cleats, a,and the other set, F' to the similar ends of the floor cleats, c, andthe two sets being connected by a removable pintle, G. It will be noted,that the latter is so located that it is in line with the longitudinalcenter abled to use a smaller pintle, since the leaves attached to' thevertical cleats, a, furnish a support for it throughout its length.

The swinging side sect-ion, D, of the ice-box is hinged to the end ofthe ceiling plate, C, and constrncted like the floor, E. The free endsof such hinged side and floor are connected by peculiar fastenings whichare adapted for adjustment, as required to adapt them to secure the saidparts D, E, in both the normal and folded position. These fasteningsconsist of two parts, or devices, attached, respectively, to the saidside, D, and floor, E. One fastening consists of a plate, I-I, securedto the floor, E, near its free edge, and a bar, H', which is hinged tosaid plate and provided with an eye at its outer end. The otherfastening is secured to the side, D, and

consists of an iron socket-plate, I, having parallel sides, or ears,Which are provided with two sets of coincident holes, 1 and 2. The freeend of the hinged bar, H' is adapted to enter the space between theears, of plate, I, and when the side, D, and floor, E, are in the normalposition, Fig. 1, the eye of said bar coincides with the lower set ofholes, 1, in the socket-plate; but, when the side and floor are folded,Fig. 2, the eye of bar, H', coincides with the upper holes, 2, in saidsocket-plate, so that a pin, J, may be inserted, as shown, to lock theparts together and complete the fastening.

It will be seen that in the abnormal, or folded, position of the side D,and floor, E, the free edge of the former rests upon the portion of thehinged bar, H', which is adjacent to its fulcrum, so that the latteracts as a lever when its free end is forced up into the socket of plate,I, thereby raising the side, D, far enough to permit the pin, J, to beeasily 5 inserted in the holes, 2, Which then register With the eye ofbar, H'. In such folded post tion of the side, D, and floor, E, theyoccupy scarcely an appreciable amount of the space availablefor storagein the car, so that it may Io be used for transportation of any class offreight for which the Ordinary car is adapted. The course taken by theair in circulating through the ice-box, A, car chamber, B, and passagesbetween the ceiling, O, and the car r5 roof, is indicated by arrows.Iapply one or more leather, or rubber, sheets, t', to `cover the spacebetween the false ceiling, O, and the swinging side, or section, D, forthe purpose of preventing passage of air at that point.

1 apply sheets, k, of zinc, tin or any other suitable non-corrosivematerial as a lining for the walls of the ice-box. It is arrangedbetween the cleats, a, and end wall, b, of the car, also between thecleats, c, and strips d, of the floor E. It is likewise applied inpractice to the end walls of the ice-box and between the ceiling properand the tapered beams to which the latter is 'secured In Fig. 4 Iillnstrate an arrangement of 3o parts for' composing two oppositeice-boxes for au ice-house, the same being adapted to fold When notrequired for use. Beneath all the cleatsI apply strips l, of rubber toperfect the sealing of joints.

What I claiin is- 1. In a refrigerator car, the combination, with thecleats attached to the vertical wall of a car, and the floor sectionhaving transverse cleats, of the two sets of V-hinges applied to theends of the ,cleats and connected by a pintle which is located in linewith the longitudinal center of the said cleats, as shown and described,for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the folding icebox sections, one being hingedto the ceiling and the other being the floor section, of abar hinged tothe free edge of said floor section and having an eye at its outer end,and a socket plate attached to the free edge of the adjacent sidesection, and having holes 'located at different distances from its ends,and a pin adapted to be inserted in said holes, to lock the said bar atdifferent points in the socket, as required for securing the sections inthe open or folded position, as shown and described.

3. The combination with the hinged and folding ice-box sections of themeans of detachable and adj ustable connection between the floor and oneof the side sections, which consist of an angular plate attached to andprojecting over the free edge of the floor seotion, a bar hinged to theouter end of such angular plate, and a socket plate attached to the edgeof the adjacentside section, as shown and described, whereby when thefloor section is folded in vertical position, the said bar lieshorizontally and supports the free edge of the free side section asspecified.

CHARLES sAUNDERs HARDY.

VVitnesses:

GEO. N. 0*BoEnN, O. H. Wnsco'rr.

